Zarkon (VLD)
*Black Paladin (Formerly) | aff = Galra Empire | health = Comatose | debut = The Rise of Voltron | voice = Neil Kaplan }} Emperor Zarkon is the original Black Paladin and current ruler of the Galra Empire that has conquered almost all of the known universe over the past ten thousand years after betraying King Alfor in an attempt to claim Voltron for himself. Once believing the Lions were destroyed, he now seeks to reclaim the Black Lion from Shiro and capture Voltron's combined power. His desire soon becomes an obsession that leads to his downfall and defeat at the hands of Voltron's team and allies after an epic battle between the robot and the emperor's own massive robotic suit. Zarkon remains in a comatose state, surviving only from Haggar's care and a machine infusing him with Quintessence. This dire state forces the witch to summon Zarkon's exiled son, Prince Lotor, to lead in his place. Appearance Zarkon has the appearance of a tall Galran male with gray skin and glowing violet eyes, although his eyes were originally yellow like most Galran aliens. He has pointed ears, a dark gray plated scalp, and dark growths on his jawline that are all kept mostly hidden under his maroon and gray crown; this headpiece covers the front of his scalp, extending down the length of his flat nose, and frames the length of his jaws, leaving his face and chin exposed. He has a scar extending from under his left eye down across his mouth, which has noticeably jagged lips reminiscent of fangs - although Zarkon has a true set of pointed teeth underneath. The emperor wears maroon armor accented with dark at his mid torso, upper thighs, and upper arms, with light gray accenting and lining various other parts of his suit. On his cuirass, the armor has four glowing violet lines curving downward towards the center, and upward towards his shoulders. He has thrusters mounted on the back of his legs to assist in flight instead of a jetpack on his back. Along with his armor, Zarkon usually wears a black cape clasped at his shoulders that is long enough to reach his calves, with blue lining the inside. Additionally, Zarkon tends to wear a royal robe over his armor and black cape. This attire is comprised of gray armor with large and high-set pauldrons, and a plated front resembling the symbol of the Galra Empire. It is accented with various glowing violet areas at his neck, shoulders, back, and chest. The robes contain a long maroon cape to cover his entire body and drag along the floor, with a darker maroon cloth hanging at the front, accented near the hem with more gray design. Personality Ruthless and obsessed, Zarkon is a tyrant whose cruelty is known across the universe. He has a single-minded goal of capturing Voltron, particularly the Black Lion he formerly piloted. Zarkon rules his empire with a calm confidence that nothing is out of his reach or sight. He believes weakness is an "infection" best cut off than to be allowed to spread, and it is this mindset that has him order a commander executed for choosing to save his own crew than complete his mission. His view of weakness extends to the belief that concern for other people's lives is an easily manipulated and exploited target. This cruel mentality is what he instills in his personally trained commanders, such as Sendak. As time wears on, Zarkon's obsession with the Black Lion proves the emperor is not as stoic as he lets on; he becomes frustrated and prone to violence against his own subordinates, ignoring their advice to exercise caution or concern for his health. He believes in having absolute command over the Black Lion, which he sees as nothing but a weapon, and he has no respect for trust built between a Paladin and their Lion. His relentless pursuit of the Lion is a weakness of his own that Team Voltron uses against him to secure his defeat. Abilities Zarkon is known to have superior strength and longevity that he amplifies by absorbing Quintessence. His skills in leadership are proven by his ten thousand-year reign of the known universe itself. As well as being an efficient ruler, Zarkon is a highly skilled combatant and is powerful enough to take on the Red Lion without the need to pilot a machine of equal caliber, using only the Black Bayard. He has shown outright brutal hand-to-hand combat prowess. For brief sustained flight, Zarkon has thrusters mounted to the armor at his calves instead of a jetpack on his back. As a the former Black Paladin, Zarkon can will the Black Bayard to take multiple combative forms such as an energy shield, a sword, a cannon, and a whip. Zarkon's proficiency with the Black Bayard surpasses that of the current Paladins as no other Paladin has been shown able to alter the form of their Bayard at will. Because of his former status, he retains a heavy connection to the Black Lion, allowing him, with assistance from Haggar and her Druids, can trace the Lion's location and mentally take control of it to force Voltron to disband. This connection also allows Zarkon's essence to travel to mysterious realm where if the he dies, he body in the physical realm will die as well, but while he feels all pain dealt to him, the sustained wounds do not appear on the his physical body. Trivia *When Allura awakens from her sleep, she refers to Zarkon as the "King of the Galra" rather than "Emperor", implying Zarkon's empire was spawned from a kingdom in the past. *Zarkon is based on the character Zarkon of the previous Voltron franchises, who in turn was based on the character Daibazaal of Beast King GoLion. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Galra Empire Category:Aliens Category:Paladins